Aspiring president Senator Manny Pacquiao said that he wanted to build a “mega prison” for government officials who would be arrested and convicted of corruption.

Pacquiao said this when he visited Parañanque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez on Friday, November 5.

“Magpapatayo ako ng ‘MP’ o mega prison kasi sa dami ng mga corrupt baka hindi sila magkasya sa ordinaryong kulungan,” said Pacquiao in a press statement.

(I will build an “MP” or mega prison since there are a lot of corrupt officials and they might not all fit inside an ordinary jail.)

The presidential aspirant also said that he wanted to create “special courts” that would focus on handling graft cases.

Pacquiao said this, as he wanted speedy resolutions on graft cases.

“Dapat three to six months masentensyahan na agad. (They should be sentenced within three to six months),” he said.

The boxing champion-turned-politician is running on an anti-corruption platform. He has faulted corrupt officials for mass poverty and stunted economic growth.

After he filed his candidacy for president, Pacquiao has been going around vote-rich provinces.

In his visit in Parañaque, Olivarez showed him the city’s emergency operations center, which Pacquiao said he wanted to replicate nationwide if elected president.

Olivarez is the chair of Metro Manila Council, the governing and policymaking body of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. He is running for Congress in the 2022 polls, switching with his younger brother Para˜ñaque City First District Representative Eric Olivarez, who will run for mayor.

Pacquiao said he visited Parañaque to “discuss the importance of local governments,” as part of his push for federalism. – Rappler.com